The World According to Vince - Jane Harvey-Berrick Page 0,71
up and put it between his teeth, winking at the wedding guests who howled with laughter.
And I understood—he’d rather play the clown and be laughed at than make me look like a fool.
Another part of my heart tiptoed over to #TeamVince.
We tangoed around that dancefloor as if we’d been doing it our whole lives, and when Vince threw his rose to Nana Dubicki, she nearly swooned. Of course, Grandma Callaghan looked madder than a box of snakes, so Vince stole another rose from a vase and presented it to her on bended knee as the music played its last notes.
Honors even for the competitive grandmas.
Honor preserved for me.
I sat down with the biggest smile on my face.
Cady leaned across the table and grabbed my hand.
“Woah! What was that? You’ve been holding out, girl. You can dance!” She squeezed my fingers. “You looked amazing out there.”
I beamed like the Montauk lighthouse.
After that, all the guests poured onto the dancefloor, shimmying, shaking, twirling and even tangoing. Maybe we’d started a trend. Vince dragged me back onto the dancefloor, more willingly this time, and we shuffled and swayed to the music as my hands gripped the back of his neck and he rested his on my waist.
“I don’t want tonight to end,” he whispered.
I looked into his eyes and smiled, truly wishing it wouldn’t.
“Me, either. But…”
He didn’t let me finish, grinning like he’d won the Lottery. “It’ll have to be my place,” he went on confidently as I shook my head, “because of the kids.”
“I hope they’re behaving for their Uncle Erik.”
Vince chuckled. “They’ll have played him for every Milk-Bone in the house and are probably pinning him to the sofa; Tyson loves Erik, but it makes him think he’s a lapdog and he’ll try to sit on his knee.”
I laughed at the image as warmth filled my chest.
The MC interrupted our moment by announcing that it was time for the bride and groom to cut the cake.
We all turned to face the side of the room where the wedding cake stood resplendent on a hill of donuts in all its chocolately glory.
Cady and Rick picked up a shiny silver knife together to cut a slice through the cake as the wedding guests smiled, clapped and took photos.
“I’m not going to moosh this into Rick’s face,” Cady announced, “because good cake shouldn’t be wasted … and because I spent two hours getting my makeup done!”
I heartily approved—I hated mess.
“No cake mooshing?” Vince said sadly. “I love that part in American weddings.”
“You would,” I laughed. “But hasn’t there been enough of that already?”
We toasted the happy couple with more champagne, then to raucous cheers, Cady tossed her bouquet into the air. Several women leaped towards it, but Vince jumped higher, and being 6’4”, beat them all.
“The bouquet toss is for women only!” I giggled.
“Yeah, but I wanted you to have it,” Vince smiled, presenting me with Cady’s bouquet. “You know what this means, don’t you?”
“Yes, I’ll have to find a vase to put it in.”
Vince leaned closer. “It means you’re getting married next.”
“Hmm, we’ll see!”
As the evening reached its peak, with many couples getting hot and sweaty on the dancefloor, and Cady’s brother making out rather publicly with one of the celebrity guests, the MC announced that the bride and groom would be leaving.
It took twenty minutes to get all the guests down to the lobby and I lost Vince in the crowd.
But when I heard loud laughter and Cady swearing fit to be tied, I guessed that Vince had one last joke to play.
Yes, there was the bride and groom’s wedding vehicle, covered in white ribbons, rattling with cans and horseshoes … attached to a Pedicab that Vince was pedaling.
Rick gave him a stern look but couldn’t stop a smile from spilling out.
“No! No way and hell no!” Cady said emphatically. “I’m not getting in that thing, Vincent. Think again. Fast.”
“Go on!” he teased. “It’s brilliant fun. Rick loved it on our stag night, didn’t you, mate?”
Rick had been married eight hours and already knew better than to contradict Cady on something like this.
He shook his head and folded his arms across his chest.
Vince sighed heavily, then stuck two fingers in his mouth and whistled so loudly, dogs two blocks away started barking.
And pulling up to the curb was a gorgeous vintage Aston Martin, just like James Bond would drive, complete with wedding ribbons.
Rick’s eyes lit up and Cady sighed with happiness.
“Much better, Vince,” she smiled. “I’ll let you live after all.”